Julio Jones: 2,000 receiving yards can be done, but it’s not a goal

Posted by Josh Alper on September 8, 2017, 8:49 AM EDT

AP

While the NFL has increasingly become a passing league over the years, no player has ever tallied 2,000 receiving yards in a season.

Calvin Johnson came close with 1,964 yards in 2012 and Julio Jones took over second place on the all-time list with 1,871 yards during the 2015 season, which makes him a popular choice when it comes to discussing which player might be the first to crack through the 2,000 mark. Jones believes it “definitely can be done” and that he’s capable of being the player that does it, although he’s also quick to note that it isn’t a particular goal of his.

“I don’t think about yardage. It’s all for fun,” Jones said, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “It’s definitely for fun. They obviously want to see somebody do [2,000] because, obviously, it’s never been done. And it’s a lot of talk about it. Any guy of my caliber, you know, can potentially put up those numbers. But at the end of the day, we’re one game at a time. Whatever the defense gives us, we’re going to take it.”

Among the biggest things working against Jones is the overall quality of the Falcons offense. With Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman coming out of the backfield to join Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel as targets for Matt Ryan, there is no need to go into games with the intention to feed Jones at the expense of exploiting every available opportunity.

Given how things worked out for the team while operating under that approach last season, it’s hard to think they’ll change things up.

Best receiver in the NFL easily. Julio doesn’t throw tantrums on the sideline slamming goal posts. He doesn’t twerk after scoring or go live on Facebook in the locker room after a big win. He’s a humble professional.